Isekai Nonbiri Nouka Chapter 1048: The Reason for Ursa’s Delay and the Ramen Golem’s Worries

The reason Ursa took so long to return.

It was because she had been securing an uninhabited island.

Why?

Was it because she heard Alfred was doing something on an uninhabited island?

Was she trying to compete with him?

No?

Was it because I had wanted to visit Alfred’s island, but everyone opposed the idea and the trip was canceled?

Well, it is true that I was talked out of going.

Mostly by Ancestor-san.

If the Village Chief were seen as someone connected to the Demon King’s Kingdom, there would be a high chance of getting caught up in some kind of conspiracy… or trouble.

The more guards I brought, the more important I would appear.

On the other hand, going without guards would be dangerous in many ways.

But the destination was a country Alfred himself was visiting.

Was it really that unsafe?

Besides, it was an uninhabited island.

I thought nobody lived there.

Apparently, that island occupied a politically sensitive location.

There is a difference between a prince visiting it and a king visiting it?

I am not a king, though…

Still, I understood that my presence would only cause trouble.

Loo and Tier were also reluctant to let me go.

They said they would escort me if I insisted, but they would have to be prepared to destroy one or two countries in the process.

Is the political situation really that unstable?

Or do they simply have no faith in me?

In the end, I could have forced the issue, but I decided against it.

It would not be enjoyable if I had to inconvenience everyone just to make the trip.

Alfred had wanted to consult me about creating farmland on the uninhabited island.

For the time being, I apologized for not being able to visit him and gave him some soil from the village instead.

It was soil that had been cultivated with the AFT.

I figured it might help with creating farmland.

-0-

Getting back to the main story.

After learning about my situation, Ursa thought that an uninhabited island within the Demon King’s Kingdom would not have those problems, so she went looking for one.

And she found one.

After confirming things with the surrounding seakins and the Demon King’s Kingdom, she secured the rights to use the island.

That was when another problem arose.

The uninhabited island was not actually uninhabited.

An ancient devil was living there.

Or rather, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the ancient devil had been sealed there.

While making a final inspection of the island, Ursa encountered the ancient devil.

Apparently, they sat down and talked.

The discussion took so long that it delayed both her return and the message letting us know she was safe.

That explanation made perfect sense.

And knowing that Ursa had gone searching for an uninhabited island just for my sake brought an involuntary smile to my face.

-0-

The ancient devil Ursa encountered was a woman named Yame.

When I asked Bulga, an ancient devil living in the village, she said they knew each other, but…

「Ah… so you woke her up. Well… please do not be too hard on her.」

She had a very awkward expression on her face.

「And if possible, please do not scold Ursa-san either.」

Huh?

「I am sure she punched her at least once before they started talking.」

She punched her?

「It is something of a ritual before you can have a conversation with her.」

Is it like when Rana-san said that if you wanted to know her name, you had to challenge her first?

「Something like that.」

I… see.

Then I will not scold Ursa over that.

Incidentally, the other ancient devil in the village, Stifano, was taking a nap together with Kukulkan, one of Rasuti’s children.

I asked Stifano after the nap, and I got pretty much the same answer.

-0-

Ursa apparently will not be back for a little while longer.

And when she does return, she says she is going to take me to the uninhabited island.

Thank you.

The autumn fields have already been prepared.

I would be happy to go.

Before that, though, I should finish everything that needs to be done.

First, there are the many Multipurpose Humanoid Heavy Machines, along with their related equipment, that Rana-san gave us.

I had planned to wait and discuss them with Ursa, but…

Come to think of it, how are we supposed to transport them?

Even if the dragons carry them, the Multipurpose Humanoid Heavy Machines are enormous.

One dragon could probably carry only one machine at a time.

Are they going to make repeated round trips?

When I asked Dors, he said the ancient devils serving the dragon race would somehow take care of it.

What does “somehow” mean?

Well, if they say they can manage it, I suppose that is fine.

For now, I will have them wait a little longer before moving the Multipurpose Humanoid Heavy Machines and the related equipment.

I wonder if we have been causing trouble for them over there.

Dors says everything is fine, but the ones actually overseeing the work are the ancient devils.

I should prepare some of the crops from this summer’s harvest as a token of appreciation.

Oh, if possible, I would like the pilot suits among the related equipment to be brought to the village first.

Yoru has been making quite a fuss about them, and if they arrive too late, Zabuton will have already gone into hibernation.

-0-

Then there is the production factory in Village Five.

Operations have been running smoothly, but I still stop by regularly to check on things.

It is not because I do not trust the angels managing the factory.

Rather, I want to show that I have not simply handed everything over to them or abandoned my responsibilities.

Malbit, the chief of the angels, also told me that maintaining that kind of attitude is important.

Of course, I do not just visit the production factory. I also stop by Kuro and Yuki, Bronze Cafe, Korin Sweet Hall, Noodle Shop Britoa, Niz Alcomeat, Patisserie Fairy Fairy, Delzen Paper, Delzen Printing, and the Prada Museum.

Kinesta, the acting manager of Kuro and Yuki and the former princess of the Elf Empire, said it was unusual to see me.

Ah, Niz said the same thing.

I should make an effort to stop by more often.

-0-

After making the rounds, I was approached in Village Five with a problem… or rather, a request for advice.

It came from the Noodle-Straining Golem.

No, perhaps it should be called the Ramen Golem now.

It no longer just strains noodles. It can now prepare the broth, make the seasoning sauce, and even make the noodles themselves, allowing it to prepare an entire bowl of ramen from start to finish on its own.

There was only so much it could achieve through self-training, so it accepted improvements from Loo, Tier, and the mountain elves.

Its performance was enhanced.

New functions were added.

The only things it still cannot do are buy ingredients, serve customers, wash dishes, clean the restaurant, and handle the register.

Someday, it might even become integrated with the restaurant itself and serve ramen on its own.

Since the request came from the Ramen Golem, I assumed it wanted even more functions added.

That was not the case.

Well…

Whenever the topic of ramen comes up in Village Five, there is one person who is always mentioned.

The Ramen Queen.

She is one of Yuri’s friends. Yuri is the Demon King’s daughter. “Queen” is only a nickname, not an official title.

However, everyone acknowledges her as the queen because of her love for and dedication to ramen.

A few days ago, the Ramen Golem served her a bowl of ramen.

Apparently, she was not satisfied.

It has been worrying over why.

Hmm.

I tried the ramen myself, and I thought it was quite good.

What exactly did the Ramen Queen dislike about it?

It would be troublesome if her complaint was simply that it was made exactly like the manager’s ramen without any originality.

Just as I was about to go ask the Ramen Queen, she happened to be nearby.

「It was very delicious.」

Really?

「It was even better than the manager’s ramen.」

You should not say things like that.

Look, the manager is depressed now.

I will have to cheer him up later.

Well then… if you liked it so much, why were you not satisfied?

「Because it had no soul.」

……….Soul?

「Yes.」

Soul?

「Soul.」

I looked at the golem.

It was the one who made the ramen.

「I know the golem made it. I watched the entire process. But who made it is irrelevant to me. I ate the ramen that was served to me, and I felt no soul in it. That is all.」

Ah… I think I understand what she means.

But could you be a little more specific about what you mean by “no soul”?

「There is no need. The golem seems to understand.」

With those words, the Ramen Queen walked away.

The Ramen Golem was left behind, utterly devastated.

It realized that it had focused only on improving its ramen-making techniques and had stopped paying attention to the customers.

At first, it had started working at the ramen shop because it wanted to earn the recognition of the craftsman it had challenged.

But after being praised by everyone around it, somewhere along the way it had become nothing more than a golem proud of its own skills.

Ah… how foolish I have been.

Hey, hey. I know you are upset, but stop swinging the noodle strainer around and splashing boiling water everywhere.

Manager, you should run.

Before you get splashed with hot water.

-0-

For the time being, the Ramen Golem reflected on its mistake.

Then it returned to basics and focused solely on straining noodles again.

However, it did request one new function.

The ability to speak.

「Welcome!」

「Please have a seat here.」

「What would you like to order?」

「Certainly.」

「Thank you for waiting. It’s hot, so please be careful. Enjoy your meal.」

「Thank you very much. We look forward to serving you again.」

It could only say preset phrases, but the Ramen Golem had begun interacting with customers.

Whether that would be enough to put a soul into its ramen, I did not know.

Still, if that was what the Ramen Golem wanted, I had no intention of getting in its way.

Besides, having it speak made the shop feel more lively.

Meanwhile, right beside the Ramen Golem, the manager was seriously honing his ramen-making skills.

He had no intention of losing to the Ramen Golem.

Apparently, the ramen shop’s reputation improved a little after the Ramen Golem started working there.

-0-

Dors: 「Village Chief is not the sort to go looking for trouble. There is no need to worry so much.」

Ancestor-san: 「As long as nobody finds out he is Alfred-kun’s father, we might manage somehow.」

Dors: 「Ah… that will be difficult. After all, he would be going because he was invited.」

Ancestor-san: 「And if people decide from what he says and does that he is too close to the Demon King’s Kingdom…」

Dors: 「If it were your country, perhaps it could be managed…」

Ancestor-san: 「But being treated as an important figure in the Korin Religion would bring its own problems…」

Dors: 「Hmm…」

Ancestor-san: 「Also, Village Chief will have bodyguards with him, won’t he?」

Dors: 「Hm? Well, there is no way he would go without bodyguards.」

Ancestor-san: 「If it is the usual group, they would be Gulf-kun, Daga-kun, and Reginleif.」

Dors: 「That sounds about right.」

Ancestor-san: 「A beastman, a lizardman, and an angel serving as bodyguards in a human nation…」

Dors: 「Ah.」

Ancestor-san: 「If people ignored them, that would be one thing. But they would either look down on them or try to curry favor with them…」

Dors: 「I can only see that ending in trouble.」

Ancestor-san: 「…Please help me with this.」

Dors: 「Understood.」

-0-

Youko: 「I wonder when Village Chief is ever going to attend the Village Council?」

-0-

Village Chief: 「It has no soul.」 (I always wanted to say that.)

Mountain Elf: 「Wouldn’t it just be a problem if the ramen itself started moving?」